Non-invasive ventilation and oxygen therapy at home decreased risk of re-hospitalization or death by 51 percent in COPD patients, according to the results of the HOT-HMV, the results of which were presented at this week’s 2016 European Respiratory Society International Congress, in London.
With funding from ResMed, the ResMed Foundation and Philips Respironics, the HOT-HMV trial studied COPD patients who were hypercapnic, which means that they had high carbon dioxide levels in their blood, and who were hospitalized after their COPD worsened. The study assessed whether adding home non-invasive ventilation to home oxygen therapy could improve the length of time these patients went without dying or being re-admitted to the hospital.
Patients treated with non-invasive ventilation and oxygen at home went a median of 4.3 months without dying or being admitted to the hospital, compared to 1.4 months for those who did not receive non-invasive ventilation.
“These study results add further weight to the existing evidence supporting the broader use of non-invasive ventilation for patients living with COPD. The results strengthen arguments for a pivotal study in the area,” said ResMed chief medical officer, Glenn Richards, M.D.”In particular, the results are important because they show giving patients with hypercapnic COPD a non-invasive ventilation device for use in the home can very significantly cut their risk of re-hospitalization and death after an acute worsening of the disease.”
Given the prevalence and under-diagnosis of COPD, the United States $36 billion dollars in direct and indirect costs related to the disease, according to estimates form the United States Centers for Disease Control. To curb the financial impact of COPD, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has started penalizing hospitals that have high readmission rates after an acute exacerbation of COPD.
“We hope these results will have a positive impact on current practice and encourage more healthcare professionals to consider the role of non-invasive ventilation in managing their COPD patients,” Dr Richards noted.